Collapsible supporting device



Nov. 11. 1924.

' 1,514.722 S. E. PERKINS COLLAPSIBLE SUPPORTING DEVICE Filed Sept. 21, 1922 fzg. Z

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Patented Nov. ll, i924.

SETH E, PERKINS, OF \WATEHLOO. IOWA.

COLLAPSIBLE SUPPGRTING DEVICE.

Application filecl september 21, 1922. Serial No. 589,541.

To aZZ rv/tom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SETH E. PERKINS, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Waterloo, Blackhawk County, Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Collapsible Supporting Devices, of which the following is a specification.

This invention pertains to improvements in collapsible supporting devices, and the object of my improvement is to supply curtain supporting means provided with hangers for a curtain at equal intervals, said means when extended, holding the curtain evenly and flatly, and when collapsed, supporting the curtain compactly folded to oc cupy but little space.

This object I have accomplished by means which are hereinafter described and claimed, and which is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which. Fig. l is an elevation of a pair of curtains as spread out in the same plane with their top edges supported at equal intervals by the hang ers of my improved extensible and collapsible supporting device. Fig. 2 is an elevation, :t'ragmental, on a larger scale, of one of the supporting devices for a suspended curtain. and Fig. 3 is an end elevation there of with its supporting beam and track shown in cross-section. Fig. l'is a cross section of a part of the lazy-tongs, and of one of the hangers taken at the pivotal connection of the hanger slideway with overlapped parts of the lazy-tongs, on a still larger scale.

My improved supporting device for ourtains is especially suitable for use in supporting one or more flexible curtains under 40 the proscenium arch of a theatre or other auditorium to extend and collapsihly hold together the curtain or curtains, usually large and made of heavy material. This improved supporting-device, however, may be of any dimensions or length as desired to support the curtain of any size across any opening.

The numeral 5 denotes a pair of spaced standards or jambs connected at their tops by a horizontal beam 3. Upon one vertical face of this beam is fastened a'longitudinal bar 4 whose upper part projects above the beam to serve as an elevated track. In Fig. 1, a pair of like flexible curtains 13 are shown suspended and extended on and uncrossdwar of the outer end part of each lazy-tongs is secured to the beam 3 on a fixed pivot pin 2.

lhe numeral 8 denotes a plurality of vertical parallel hangenbars which are at or near their upper ends pivoted on the upper pivot pintles 10 of the lazy tongs. Certain of thebars 8 only at equal intervals apart have their upper ends projecting above said lazy-tongs and bent transversely horizon: tally and then downwardly to supply hous ing-meinhers 7 within which grooved antifrictionrollers 6 are rotatably mounted to run to and fro along said elevated trz ck l. The lower ends of all the hanger-bars 8 project downwardly a suitable distance below the lazy-tongs and have terminal orifices 11 to receive hooks '12 on which the curtain 13 S0 is suspended at equally spaced intervals of its upper marginal edge. In order to keep the hanger-bars 8 parallel with each other during all the phases of extending or collapsing movement of the lazy-tongs so as to equally extend the curtain and hold it flatly when extended, or to collapse it together in equal folds for the sake of compactness, 1 supply the following means for slidably connecting their lower parts to the lower parts of the lazy-tongs. The numeral 9 denotes a slideway constructed from a short flat bar whose extremities are bent to one side into rectangular hooks 9, and this slidew is pivotally secured medially upon the flush head of a lower pintle 10 which also pivotally connects together overlapped ends of cross-bars l of the lazy-tongs. The lower part of the hanger-bar 8 is seated loosely in this slideway to permit free up and down sliding movements of the slideway upon said bar 8 as the lazy-tongs are expanded or contracted. It will be seen that the hang er-bars 8 are thus kept parallel while the lazy-tongs acting to spread them apart or draw them together.

Any desired traction means may be used to expand or contract the lazy-tongs, or, when a pair of lazy-tongs are used as shown in Fig. 1 to contract them while moving them apart from each other or to simultaneously expand" them to bringthem to gether endwise.

I have shown in Fig. 1 a simplemechanism which may be used. forthis. purpose.

The numeral 14L denotes a bar fastened to a terminal hanger-bar 8 nearitsupperend by means of one or" the pivots 10, the lower end of the bar being-bent outwardly hor-izontally and orificed at 15. On the adja cent terminal hanger-bar 8 of the other lazy-tongs a like bar and eye 15 is secured in a reverse position so that'the two eyes'15 are atdii'ferentlevels. Grooved sheaves 18 and-19 are rotatably mounted on opposite I ends of the beam A like grooved sheave vertically. disposed reaches of said cable which connect the lowermost sheave 21 with the upper sheaves 19 and '20, may be moved to and fro manually to shift the upper horizontal reachesv to extend or to collapsethepair of lazy-tongs while simultaneously expanding or collapsibly folding the curtains 13. It is obvious thattanykind. 0t motor may be operatively connected to either of saidnsheaves to. rotate it in either of reverse directions if desired.

It is also obvious that this device may be employed to suspensively support some otherbbject or a series of objects from the hanger-bars 8 instead of a curtain 13 wherever such useis convenient.

Having. described myinvention, what I claim as newand. desire to secure by Letters Patent; is:

A device of the character described, comprising a pair of alined' like lazy-tongs anchored at their outerendsand extensible toward each other, each including vertically disposed bars pivoted at their upper ends to the upper pivotal connections of the lazy tong-members, slideways pivoted at the lower pivotal connections of the'laZy-tong members, each shdeway consisting of a pl ate-having its opposite ends bent reversely towardeaeh-othertop'rovide an interspace receiving the respective vertical bar slidably, and curtain securing means onthe low-er extremities of said vertical bars.

Signed at lVaterloo, Iowa; this 28th day of August, 1922;

SETH E. PERKINS: 

